...I believe that Athens is a much better, well rounded city-state than Sparta. There are many aspects of Athenian society that are superior to that of Sparta's. Athens government was a direct democracy, meaning that the people are the ones making the decisions. All citizens are welcome at the Athens assembly and were all welcomed to speak their voice and share ideas. Sparta's government is an oligarchy. There are 2 kings and various assemblies of very wealthy "elected officials" who are Spartiates, or the highest class in the Spartan society. Athens government is clearly better in this aspect as the people are the ones making choices for their society, rather than being controlled by kings and high-ups. Another main reason why Athens is superior to Sparta is in their education system. In Athens, boys studied music, math, arts, grammar and poetry. Also, they received a mandatory 2 years of military service from ages 18-20. In Sparta, boys live in military barracks from ages 7-60, with no education other than athletics and combat. Athenians believe that boys should...
Words: 492 - Pages: 2
...Athens and Sparta are both city states of Ancient Greece, but have you ever wondered which is better? .Athenian boys are homeschooled from when they are born to when they are the age 6. Then they graduate at age 20 but if there family is rich, they graduate at age 25. They have also have had way more cultural achievements then Sparta has ever had. Athens is the smarter and more educated city state. Athens was the superior city state because they were more educated. One reason they were a first-rate city state because they were more educated, for example they sent kids to school when Sparta left them alone in the cold. This shows that Athenians was more educated than Spartans.In conclusion I think Athenians were smarter than Spartans. They...
Words: 341 - Pages: 2
...In Ancient Greece there were two different major forms of government, Oligarchy and Democracy. The two city-states that best represent each form of government were Sparta (oligarchy) and Athens (democracy). The democratic government in Athens, though de cently equal, fair and fairly advanced for its time, did not meet the needs of the Greeks. During a time of many military battles Athens decided to worry more about comfort and culture. It is the oligarchy in Sparta that put a war-like attitude as it's first priority and best met the needs of Ancient Greece. The Athenian democratic government, which may have given the citizens in Greece more freedom, was not the best form of government at the time. The democracy in Athens cannot really be called a true democracy since there were several flaws in the governme nt and the way it worked. Only ten per cent of the total population of Athens actually had voting rights and all of these citizens were upper class men who were over thirty years old. Women, no matter what the class or age, were given no freedom at all. They were first owned by their fathers and then were passed from them to their husbands who then gave them nothing more than the responsibilities of managing the household and educating the children. During a meeting of the Assembly, a policy could be adopted and formed into a law but once the meeting of the assembly ended, the enforcement of that law was left in the hands of people...
Words: 1290 - Pages: 6
...The best ancient Greek city-state to live in would’ve been Sparta for many reasons. The first reason is that everyone in Sparta had rights. For example, women in Sparta had more rights than most Greek women, such as being able to own property. Even slaves had many rights of their own. According to the Athens vs Sparta History Alive Reading, “Spartan women had many rights Greek women did not have. . . They could own and control their own property.” Also stated in the Athens vs Sparta History Alive Reading about the slaves, “They could marry whomever they wanted, they could pass their names onto their children. They could sell extra crops. . . They could even buy their freedom.” Because everyone had rights, the Spartans in their own way, were...
Words: 377 - Pages: 2
...purpose. The essays are centred on Greece. Particular emphasis is placed on the states of Athens and Sparta. The aim of the essays is to show the contributions that Greek states made to the modern world. The world has learnt a lot of aspects from Greece, being they direct or indirect. One of the things that Greece brought to the world is the democratic system of government. Together with lessons from ancient Rome the world has learned much. Essay1: Differences in terrain and climatic conditions between Athens and Sparta Greece has many cities and towns, however probably the main ones in ancient times were Sparta and Athens. These two cities shaped the political life and history of Greece for quite a long time. The influence mainly centred on land and agriculture. For, about 90% of Greece production was agricultural in nature, with grain production as the dominant area. Incidentally, grain was a staple product and food of Greece. As a result the land that was used for grain production was a vital part of wealth and a valuable asset, for which citizens compete for. This essay is going to explore the difference in terrain between Athens and Sparta and how it affected agriculture and political rights, including democracy as well as how agricultural production had an impact on the distribution of political rights and the powers invested in various category of the Greek populace. Athens has many hills and rocky soils. This means that it has many slopes and up land. The land is...
Words: 3017 - Pages: 13
...Athens and Sparta existed from 2000 B.C. to 404 B.C. Sparta came around when the helots were conquered in a village that was named Sparta which became their capital. Athens were sea traders and were big on trade, which might have been a reason why their city-state came about. Sparta was located in a village down in a valley. They were a rigid and highly militarized society. Their location may have helped explain why Sparta developed different from Athens. Athens was an attic peninsula that was built inland. Their city-state was built around the rocky hill of Acropolis. Sparta was ruled by two kinds. One king led the army, while the other took care of the matters at home. The Council of Elders were made up of 28 male citizens over 60. They were usually wealthy and high in power. They proposed laws and served as a criminal court. An assembly consisted of all male citizens over 30 voted on those laws proposed by the Council of Elders to accept or reject them. The helots in Sparta hated the Spartans and what they did, because they had no say and were treated as a low class. Athens was a democracy ruled by Cleisthenes. What he first did was divide Athen’s citizens into 10 tribes. Then each tribe chose 50 men. And those men formed what we call the Council of Five Hundred. The members served for one year and couldn’t be chosen more than twice. They proposed laws to the assembly, but the assembly had the final word. The court became more democratic also. Jurors were citizens chosen by...
Words: 1303 - Pages: 6
...agendas, and rhetoric. Don’t you see what it has been doing to us? It has caused us to come out of touch with reality and the rest of Athens. Because of our factions, we come to the Assembly ready to vote a certain way. More times than not, we will not change our vote either. We don’t care what is right. We don’t care what is wrong. We don’t care if someone has made an excellent point or not. Instead, we only vote for that way in favors of our faction’s agenda. Basically, we use rhetoric to debase the others in the assembly. We are here today, my brothers, to discuss more important agenda items. Basically all of you Radical and Moderate Democrats are going to just sit there in your seats and say, “get one with it already”. You’re going to listen to my arguments and points, and then oppose all of my statements and tell my fellow Oligarchs and I your side of the argument. But please, hear me out. The agenda for today is about Athens rebuilding its fleet and recommencing tribute...
Words: 1448 - Pages: 6
...If you could have chosen where would you have lived. Sparta where the main focus is on military, or Athens where the main focus is on government and education. I would have chosen Sparta. Although, it depends on what you think is most important in a society. One main reason why i chose Sparta was because of the impeccably strong military. Military matters to me because i think that it is important to feel safe where you live.The soldiers in the Spartan military have been training since they were only seven years old.They were strong fierce warriors. Not only that, but they were the best trained and most feared throughout all of Greece. Training almost all their life to go into battle.They knew that they must fight bravely, and if they were...
Words: 355 - Pages: 2
...Comparing Athens and Sparta: Where Would You Rather Live, and Why? Source: PBS.org | ATHENS | SPARTA | Population & Map | Approximately 140,000; Approximately 40,000 men were citizens; and slaves (about 40,000). By 432 BC, Athens had become the most populous city-state in Hellas. In Athens and Attica, there were at least 150,000 Athenians, around 50,000 aliens, and more than 100,000 slaves. | Approximately 8,000 Spartiates (adult male citizens) ruled over a population of 100,000 enslaved and semi-enslaved people. | Government & Political organizations | Athenian GovernmentUsually classified as a "direct democracy" (because everyone, not just politicians attended the Assembly), Athens claims to be the "birthplace of democracy".Elected officials including 10 generals (strategos), magistrates (archons), and others.Council of 500 was charged with administering decisions made by the Assembly.The Assembly open to all citizens (all citizens were eligible to attend such meetings and speak up). They passed laws and made policy decisions. The Assembly met on the Hill of the Pnyx at the foot of the Acropolis.During time of Pericles citizens were paid for jury service so not only the wealthy could participate.Women did not participate in the political life of Athens. | Spartan Government:Usually classified as an "oligarchy" (rule by a few), but it had elements of monarchy (rule by kings), democracy (through the election of council/senators), and aristocracy (rule by the...
Words: 1406 - Pages: 6
...Greeks. 2. Alphabetic Writing Writing will return to the Greek world during this period. When it does it won’t be like Linear A or B. It will be based on an alphabet that the Greeks borrowed and modified the Phoenicians alphabet. Homer- iconic poet of Greek literature. He came from the region of Ionia. Produced famous epics of the Trojan War. Legends of the great Mycenaean heroes. Different traditions focused on different heroes. Responsible for two of the great monuments. The Iliad and the Odyssey. Achilles Agamemnon Odysseus Hector Ajax Paris Helen of Troy Penelope Important element- arête means excellence. Surpassing Excellence. Achievement, accomplishment. Exceed potential. Also mental. Ex. Odysseus is smarter than anyone else. He outwits Gods. Virtue of this society. Also is very competitive. Forever contending against one another. Individualistic quality. Have to be the best. Character trait that is the center of Greece. 3. Polis e. Polis literally means city. f. Greeks meant g. Oligarchic rule of Basileis Greece is made up of city-states. Each city will undergo its own political history. At the beginning of the archaic period almost all were Oligarchic. Oligarchic is rule by the few, Basileis- landed aristocrats. Owned most of the land in the...
Words: 3988 - Pages: 16
...the time in between while Athens was at its greatest, Pericles rose to an iconic role of statesman, orator and war general. His prevalence and demeanor to the issues and situations surrounding the time allowed Athens to rain supreme. His speeches were influential and achievements spoke as loud as his words. Pericles was the ultimate Athenian. To fully assess Pericles, all his characteristics and positions of power need to be considered. He was a political leader, a military leader and an orator. These three separate entities require a man of great following, prowess and the total embodiment of an Athenian. So where to start when evaluating Pericles? Was he a culmination of his leadership roles or was one aspect of his legacy the determining factor to his ascertation of one of history's greatest minds? One must induce that the situations surrounding himself, his countrymen and the overall goal of the state of Athens were decisions that were not easily made and required an exuberant amount of strategy to preserve all that he stood for. Pericles, according to Thucydides, was Athen's “first citizen”. His initial actions were that of a soldier. Pericles led Athens in battle during the first Peloponnesian War. After heading several attacks, he developed a new theory for political strategy. While combining strategy and politics, Pericles amassed a following in Athens. Although Athens was imperialistic, Pericles sought to preserve rather than expand upon the empire. ...
Words: 2548 - Pages: 11
...competition conquered, the results come in; George W. Bush is our new president! With a slim win by 5 electoral votes, Bush is our new president. Wait a second, popular vote is that not the votes of qualified voters of the population? In America today, political decisions are decided democratically by its residents. Although Al Gore won the popular vote, George Bush is still the decided president. Then what is democracy, where did it come from, is our current democratic society a progression or is it a regression of democracy’s evolution? America has a government decided by the population of America; at least that is of the idea of a democratic society. Let us then compare American democracy to where democracy was created. The reason why everyone votes is to make a unanimous decision of who will become the leaders of a country. Democracy is just that, a government where the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation. Joseph states in his book Homo Sapience: “Senates successfully administered a nation for the benefit of the people with the mandate that was delegated out by the residents for a limited term”. This creation of democracy originated in ancient Greece. The Greek word for democracy, demokratia, literally translates into “power by the people” (Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World, Revised...
Words: 1413 - Pages: 6
...New people began to arrive in Asia Minor and Anatolia, known as the Indo Europeans, which created conflict with the Egyptians. These small states did not last. Since the first city states appeared in the East around 3000 BC there had been an ongoing movement toward the creation of larger territorial states with stronger government systems. Between 1000 and 500 bc the assyrians, chaldeans and persians all created empires that covered large areas. Even larger than these was the empire of the great kings of persia. Persian rule was tolerant and efficient, people under their rule were able to keep their religions and methods of trade. There is no doubt as to why many easter people showed their thanks for being subjects of the great kings. The hebrews were a part of these groups, they did not create an empire and were dominated by the assyrians. They still managed to leave a spiritual legacy that influenced much of the later development of Western Civilization. The development of Hebrew monotheism created in Judaism was one of the world's greatest religions; it influenced both christianity and islam. When we speak of Judaeo Christian heritage in western civ we talk about the concept of monotheism and the ideas of law, morality and social justice that played a huge part in western...
Words: 1479 - Pages: 6
...We all laugh, we laugh about a great number of things, but why? There are multitude of reasons why we find something funny and basic rules and protocols for creating a hilarious piece. Lysistrata, an ancient comedy piece that was originally preformed in 411 BCE uses rich and numerous of different methods to create an overall humorous play. The overall plot is that Athens and Sparta are at war and the wives of both city-states want the conflict to end so they go on a sex strike in order to persuade their husbands to attempt to end the war, due to the bankrupt situation of the two city-states. The play uses various methods such as bringing certain stereotypical character types that are found in a great number of comedies. One example is the use...
Words: 1220 - Pages: 5
...Athens Handout Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, (trans. by R. Crawley) 2.15 The Synoecism of Theseus: From very early times this had been more the case with the Athenians than with others. Under Cecrops and the first kings, down to the reign of Theseus, Attica had always consisted of a number of independent townships, each with its own town hall and magistrates. Except in times of danger the king at Athens was not consulted; in ordinary seasons they carried on their government and settled their affairs without his interference; sometimes even they waged war against him, as in the case of the Eleusinians with Eumolpus against Erechtheus. In Theseus, however, they had a king of equal intelligence and power; and one of the chief features in his organization of the country was to abolish the council-chambers and magistrates of the petty cities, and to merge them in the single council-chamber and town hall of the present capital. Individuals might still enjoy their private property just as before, but they were henceforth compelled to have only one political centre, viz., Athens; which thus counted all the inhabitants of Attica among her citizens, so that when Theseus died he left a great state behind him. Plutarch, Life of Solon (trans. by B. Perrin) Solon and Draco’s Laws: 17 1 In the first place, then, he repealed the laws of Draco, all except those concerning homicide, because they were too severe and their penalties too heavy. For one penalty was assigned to...
Words: 2617 - Pages: 11
